Olberic Eisenberg
"To what end do I swing my blade?" ''— Olberic, when selected from the main screen. ' ' is one of eight playable characters in ''Octopath Traveler. He was also one of the two playable characters in the ''Project Octopath Traveler Demo''. A knight from a lost kingdom, Olberic became a sellsword and temporarily resided in Cobbleston. After a chance meeting with a colleague of his previous brother-in-arms, he decides to set out to find the answers he seeks— one of them as to why he swings his blade. Profile Appearance Olberic has black hair that is hanging loosely back with white streaks. A strand of his hair is left unfixed. Olberic has a scar that goes from his left head side to his forehead. He's usually seen wearing a blue tunic with metal shoulder guards and a metal bracer on both hands along with leather sleeves, pants, and shoes. His sword is strapped to his left hip. Personality Prior to the fall of his country, Olberic was a knight who dedicated his life to the safety of his liege and kingdom. After the fall of his country, he had lost his purpose as a knight and constantly questioned what his reason for living was. Gaston, the boss of the brigands he had encountered in his starting chapter, described how his eyes looked dead and only lit up like flames upon mention of Erhardt. However, even if he has forgotten his reason for fighting, he still dedicates himself to protecting those he cares about till the bitter end. This ends up being the answer Olberic has been seeking for so long. As a knight, Olberic has a strong sense of justice and feels the need to protect those around him. His experiences and his knowledge provide him with much wisdom of the battlefield. Olberic is stoic, but shows a softer side from time to time. History "Your name is Olberic, and you are a warrior. You were once a brave knight, until you lost king and kingdom in a bloody coup. Today, you serve as a master-of-arms for a small mountain village. "To what end do I swing my blade?" The question tortured you night after restless night. Then, one day, you hear a name from your past, giving you new purpose..." ''— Olberic's description when selecting him. '''Prior to Story' Before moving to Cobbleston, he was known throughout the land as the "Unbending Blade" due to the sheer power with which he handled his sword. Olberic served under the king of Hornburg with his close friend, Erhardt, before losing both land and master to a war. Not only that, he discovered Erhardt to be a traitor, slaying their liege in front of him before besting him in battle. After losing his country in the war, he moved to a secluded village and hides under the alias 'Berg,' allowing people to think that the mighty Olberic Eisenberg died along with his country. He acts as the town's combat instructor, aiding the townsfolk in protecting their home from brigands. Olberic stayed at Cobbleston for about eight years before the events that stir his resolve once more. 'Chapter 1' On what starts as a typical day in Cobbleston, Philip is kidnapped by a group of bandits. Olberic tracks them down in their hideout and battles their leader, Gaston. Upon realizing Gaston's sword was the one once held by Erhardt, Olberic springs to life, demanding to be told where he is. After being defeated by Olberic, Gaston states that Gustav, another man who knew Erhardt, may know of his whereabouts. 'Chapter 2' Olberic travels to Victors Hollow in search of Gustav, hoping to enter the tournament to gain a chance to speak with him. He is spotted by Cecily and Ned, who offer him a place in the tournament if he fights under Cecily's colors. He agrees, and after defeating a previous tournament champion, Victorino, he earns participation in the tournament. Olberic bests Joshua Frostblade and Archibold in the tournament, reaching the final match against Gustav. Upon his defeat, Gustav agrees to speak with Olberic about Erhardt. He reveals that Erhardt possessed a strong hatred for King Alfred, and currently resides in Wellspring. 'Chapter 3' After speaking with the townspeople in Wellspring, Olberic learns that Erhardt was viewed as a local hero for slaying Lizardmen. He is welcomed by the captain of the guardsmen, Bale, after he reveals that he and Erhardt were once friends. He later helps the guards defend against an abrupt attack from the Lizardmen, and ventures into their den in order to meet Erhardt. Olberic and Erhardt help slay the leaders of the horde before speaking with each other for the first time in years. The two reconcile after a duel, and Erhardt explains that he had worked for Werner, who resides in Riverford. 'Chapter 4' In Riverford, Olberic learns that Werner had overthrown the previous lord and rules the town with an iron grip. He meets with the leader of a resistance force, Harald, who plans an assault on Werner through a hidden path. As the attack is conducted, however, Werner intercepts the resistance, having foreseen Harald's plot. As Olberic struggles to defend the townspeople on his own, Erhardt appears and helps fight off Werner's men while Olberic pursues the lord himself. Olberic defeats Werner in battle; however, before he has a chance to deal the finishing blow, Werner takes his own life. Before dying, Werner reveals that he destroyed Hornburg because the Gate of Finis was located there. With the successful uprising in Riverford, Olberic returns to Cobbleston as he had promised the townspeople, having found the reason for which he wields his sword—to protect those who needed him. Relationships Erhardt Olberic, during his time in Hornburg, worked alongside Erhardt. He saw Erhardt as an equal and a brother, until the latter slew their liege. It was by Erhardt's hand that Olberic lost everything and began questioning the reason for which he swings his blade. However, it is eventually revealed that Erhardt slew the king because he did nothing to save Erhardt's home. This caused Erhardt to harbor a heavy grudge against the king. With Werner pulling the strings, he ascended in the ranks as a knight with the sole purpose of one day having vengeance on him. In the end, despite having succeeded with his revenge plot, the hole in his heart did not mend. Like Olberic, he quickly wondered what his purpose for wielding a sword was any longer. Their meeting in Wellspring allowed Olberic to understand Erhardt. Despite being honest with one another, however, Olberic finds that they could only resolve things through a duel. Though Olberic says that he can find no room in his heart to forgive Erhardt for his crimes, at the end of their duel, it is shown that they have mended their relationship as friends and even teamed up once more as the Twin Blades of Hornburg. Philip A boy that strives to become a knight just like Olberic, he is Olberic's protégé, living in Cobbleston with his mother. During the beginning of Olberic's story, Philip can be seen watching him teach fighting lessons to the town guards. Before long he is kidnapped by bandits that attack the town, forcing Olberic to give chase and come sword to sword with Gaston, an affiliate of Erhardt who wields his sword. Once Olberic decides to leave the town, Philip asks him to make a promise to return and swears he will one day grow up to be a strong knight like his teacher. Battle Olberic is your typical physical wall that can defend other allies from a foe's attacks, potentially saving them from a strong blow that could cause them to be incapacitated. His Talent, Bolster Defense, allows him to boost his 'Defend' action to soak up hits for allies. He comes equipped with polearms and swords as his weapon, giving him decent versatility in finding enemy weaknesses. As a Warrior, Olberic has no innate access to any elemental spells, which are crucial in many fights outside of his own region. Olberic's stats are focused strictly on his physical attributes; his elemental attributes are the poorest among the travelers. * Olberic's defensive capabilities and HP pool make him an excellent option as a durable Apothecary. In fact, many of Olberic's one-on-one challenge battles are best fought with this class. The First Aid ability allows Olberic to heal himself during duels. He also gains access to axes, making his break ability greater, and gains marginal increases to his HP and physical attack. * Thief is also an option for Olberic to heal himself during challenges. Steal HP allows him to attack enemies and keep his HP steady at the same time. The improved speed gives Olberic more use out of his physical strength, and Steal SP gives him more use out of his native Warrior skills. He can also use the Thief's debuffs to improve his own damage output and survivability. * Of the eight base jobs, Hunter gives Olberic the greatest variety of weapon types, plus an elemental spell for a total of five weaknesses. Olberic also gains access to Leghold Trap, one of the game's most powerful debuffs in boss battles and challenges. Another obvious choice for Olberic is Warmaster. This will give Olberic access to all weapon types and boosts his offensive and defensive capabilities, especially with the Physical Prowess passive skill. With high-power weapons and Winnehild's Battle Cry, Olberic becomes an offensive machine capable of tearing though shields, though may not support the party quite as well as H'aanit. A good, safe Warmaster setup for Olberic is BP Eater, Surpassing Power, Physical Prowess, and Saving Grace, though Saving Grace and Physical Prowess could be substituted for Hang Tough and Fortitude. In this setup, Olberic would be given Lion Dance for huge damage output between 1-25% health. Warrior Skills Support Skills Subjobs Below are the sprites and appearance changes for Olberic with each Subjob: WarriorOlberic.png ClericOlberic.png ScholarOlberic.png MerchantOlberic.png DancerOlberic.png ApothecaryOlberic.png ThiefOlberic.png HunterOlberic.png RunelordOlberic.png SorcererOlberic.png StarseerOlberic.png WarmasterOlberic.png Each time a subjob is selected the appearance of the character will also change. The first sprite is the appearance with no Subjob equipped. Quotes Gallery |-|Official Art= Olberic Art.jpg|Official artwork of Olberic. TableCharacters.jpg|Artwork of the eight travelers. Loading.jpg|Artwork of the eight travelers. Octopath Traveler OST Cover.png|Cover artwork for the Octopath Traveler Original Soundtrack. |-|Promotional Art= TwitterPromoImage.jpg|Promotional artwork featuring Primrose, Yusufa, Olberic, and Philip. Octopath Blackboard.png|Artwork from Square Enix Café. Octopath Cafe Banner.png|Artwork from Square Enix Café. Octopath Traveler Sketch.png|A sketch of the eight travelers by Naoki Ikushima. Octopath Countdown 5.png|Artwork of Olberic by Hitomi Furuta (character artist). Octopath Traveler Released.png|Promotional artwork celebrating release. Octopath Art by M.Nishimura.png|Promotional artwork by Masayoshi Nishimura. Octopath Traveler x Bravely Default.png|Promotional crossover artwork with Bravely Default. Octopath Traveler x Bravely Default 4.png|Promotional crossover artwork with Bravely Default. FamitsuCover.jpg|''Octopath Traveler'' artwork from Famitsu. OctopathThanks.jpg|Promotional artwork celebrating 1 million sales. 8pathWhiteDay2019.png|Promotional artwork celebrating White Day. 8pathBreakBoost.png|Promotional artwork for Octopath Traveler Break and Boost. 8PathBreakBoostBeyond.png|Promotional artwork for Octopath Traveler Break, Boost and Beyond. 8pathBreakBoostBeyondExtend.png|Promotional artwork for Octopath Traveler Break and Boost -Extend-. 8pathSteamRelease.png|Promotional artwork celebrating the Steam release of Octopath Traveler. |-|Concept Art= Octopath Lineup Female to Male.png|Concept art of the eight travelers. Olbericconcept.png|Concept art of Olberic. |-|Sprites= OlbericMerchant.png OlbericDancer.png ApothecaryOlberic.png Olberic.png Olberic_Journal.png Etymology Olberic's '''name could be derived from the name '''Olbert, that means 'famous for his inheritance' in Frisian and German. His last name, Eisenberg, is a German name meaning 'iron mountain or hill'. Trivia * Olberic's last name is a reference to Eisenberg, a nation in another Square Enix ''title, ''Bravely Default. * He is one of the few heroes whose sprite changes in their first chapter or starting point, the other being Therion. * Olberic is 35 years old, making him the oldest traveler. * Olberic is the only character who has the same main boss theme play in his first three chapters. *Olberic is the only character that has more than one mini-boss fight in a single chapter, with three in total in second chapter of his story. * During the "Fears and Aversions" travel banter, Olberic admits he is a poor swimmer, saying he swam a little as a child but forgot the skill while growing into manhood. **Cyrus suggests it is due to Olberic having too much muscle, causing him to sink like a stone. * During the "Strategy and Tactics" travel banter, Olberic admits charging headfirst is the only way he knows how to do battle. * During the "A Drinking Contest" travel banter, Olberic is described as a "bottomless barrel" when it comes to drinking and is the type to laugh uncontrollably once he reaches his tipping point, however not even he can hold a candle to Alfyn. ** Olberic also mentions that the last time he had been forced into his tipping point was when he had a drinking contest with Erhardt, a match he unfortunately lost. * Olberic is one of three characters with a unique weapon sprite. Olberic's sword sprite is different from the one used by the other seven characters. * Unless he has a subjob (that isn't Warmaster), Olberic is the only traveler who had no elemental attack. * Out of all the travellers, Olberic's lantern holding sprite is the only one where the lantern itself does not move while walking or running. Category:Characters Category:Travelers Category:Males